Which to use
“übertreffen” and “übertreten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,618
- “übertreffen” frequency rank
- #39,174
- “übertreten” frequency rank
- 55792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | übertreffen | übertreten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | über seine persönlichen Leistungen hinausgehen | mit dem Fuß jenseits einer Linie auftreten |
Where the eye mixes übertreffen and übertreten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. übertreffen runs 11 letters (VCVCCCVCCVC) against übertreten's 10 (VCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses übertreffen with übertreten
A purely visual mix-up. übertreffen ([yːbɐˈtʁɛfn̩]) and übertreten ([ˈyːbɐˌtʁeːtn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
übertreffen is recorded at frequency rank #16,618, classified as averb, pronounced [yːbɐˈtʁɛfn̩]. übertreten is at rank #39,174, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈyːbɐˌtʁeːtn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55792, this pair ranks #965,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of übertreffen vs übertreten
Shared letters: benrtü. Private to "übertreffen": f. Private to "übertreten": -.
"übertreffen" · 11 letters · shape VCVCCCVCCVC · "übertreten" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "übertreffen" for "übertreten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "übertreffen" or "übertreten" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreffen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "übertreten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #965,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "übertreffen" and "übertreten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Überresten vs übertreten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #965,587 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.